Chapter 104 — Meeting Tang Yun Again

Wei Zhao savored the moment, marveling at how long it had been since he had enjoyed such a leisurely life. In the past, it had been nothing but work, work, and more work... Even when he passed through a bustling food street like this, it had always been to fill his stomach first and foremost—what leisure had he ever had to appreciate the scenery?

Though the air here was tinged with the greasy smoke of countless food stalls and the sour smell of discarded vegetable leaves—nothing like the crisp freshness of the mountains—this earthy, everyday atmosphere stirred a deep longing in Wei Zhao.

What would he give to live like these ordinary folk one day, strolling through the streets, snacking as he went... What a delightful life that would be.

Wei Zhao stretched his arms, then opened his eyes...

"Huh..." To his astonishment, directly ahead, coming straight toward him, were a mother and daughter... They were pushing a tricycle cart laden with a barbecue grill, tables, chairs, and stools...

It could only be Tang Yun and her mother.

Tang Yun had clearly spotted Wei Zhao too, but a flicker of disdain passed through her eyes, and she turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Her mother, however, hadn't noticed him and was still chatting away with her daughter.

It was only then that Wei Zhao realized how compromising his posture looked. Leaning languidly against the luxurious Audi S5, facing directly in the direction Tang Yun was coming from—with the sleek sports car and his elegant, indolent pose, he really did cut the figure of one of those rich young dandies putting on airs in front of a girl from a poor family...

But Wei Zhao was utterly wronged. He had no intention whatsoever of showing off or posturing in front of Tang Yun. He had merely been reflecting on life beside the car, and by sheer bad luck, Tang Yun had to catch him at it...

Feeling rather embarrassed, Wei Zhao rubbed his chin and quickly stepped away from the car. By now, Tang Yun and her mother had already pushed the barbecue cart up to where he stood. Since he'd been seen, Wei Zhao figured he ought to at least say hello.

"Hello, Auntie." Wei Zhao scratched his head and greeted Tang Yun's mother a little sheepishly. She was, after all, an elder. If he hadn't seen her, that would have been one thing, but now that he had, he couldn't very well just turn around and walk off.

"Ah? You are..." Tang Yun's mother stared at Wei Zhao in surprise. He was dressed in the new casual outfit he had just bought, and with the sports car right beside him, she didn't recognize him at first.

"It's me, Wei Zhao. I ate at your barbecue stall yesterday with my classmates..." Wei Zhao explained.

"Oh... it's you! Now I remember." Tang Yun's mother looked at him with some astonishment. Yesterday she had learned that he was quite formidable at school—one of the Four Notorious Young Masters of the campus, someone even Zou Ruoming feared—but seeing him today, she realized his family background must be far from ordinary. She had no idea how much the car cost, but from the look of it, it couldn't have been cheap. What was more, today's casual clothes made him look considerably more handsome than he had in yesterday's school uniform, and she found herself warming to him. "Yun'er, now that you've seen your classmate, why aren't you greeting him?"

"Humph." Chastised by her mother, Tang Yun felt wronged. She lifted her chin and glared at Wei Zhao, thinking to herself: How thick-skinned is this guy? Who knows where he found out that she and her mother set up their stall on the food street on weekends—he must have come early just to wait for her here. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... I came to eat..." Wei Zhao gave a wry smile under Tang Yun's hostile stare.

"Yun'er, is that any way to talk to your classmate?" Her mother was deeply displeased with her daughter's attitude. Yesterday, the young man had not only helped Tang Yun out of a jam but had also recovered the money she had lost—and from the look of things, with him around, those students wouldn't dare bully them when they set up their stall near the school anymore. Tang Yun's mother was genuinely grateful to him. Seeing her daughter acting so at odds with Wei Zhao, she grew irritated. "He came here to eat, of course. What else would he be doing?"

Stung by her mother's rebuke, Tang Yun shot Wei Zhao a fierce, hateful glare, then stubbornly turned her back and ignored him completely.

"This child... Mr. Wei, please don't take offense..." Tang Yun's mother explained to him apologetically. Now that Wei Zhao's standing had changed in her eyes, so too had her manner of addressing him.

"It's no trouble at all, Auntie. Just call me Wei Zhao..." Wei Zhao broke into a light sweat. He hadn't expected Tang Yun to be so headstrong. He hoped she could hold on to that spirit. For a girl from a family like hers, maintaining such a small measure of self-respect and pride was no easy thing, and it made Wei Zhao think rather better of her.

Tang Yun's mother seemed quite helpless when it came to her daughter. After exchanging a few more words with Wei Zhao, she pushed the cart along with Tang Yun toward the heart of the food street.

Wei Zhao shook his head and followed at a distance, careful not to get too close, lest Tang Yun accuse him of tailing her...

Wei Zhao casually bought two sticks of fried chicken strips from a roadside stall and stuffed them into his mouth. This authentic street vendor treat was something he seldom got to eat. As for fried chicken strips, he had long forgotten how many years it had been since he last tasted them.

From afar, Wei Zhao watched Tang Yun and her mother set up their stall and light the fire. He didn't feel comfortable going over to join them. Even if Tang Yun's mother was quite good at barbecue, he had no desire to be glared at by Tang Yun with daggers in her eyes.

Seizing the moment when they weren't looking, Wei Zhao hurried past them. At the far end of the food street, he spotted Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. The two girls were seated at a stall selling Shaanxi cold noodles, sharing a single bowl. The bowl was flaming red, clearly loaded with chili peppers.

Gu Mengyao took a couple of bites, then stuck out her tongue and fanned it with her hand—evidently overwhelmed by the spiciness. Shen Yushu, meanwhile, was alternating between eating and sipping her drink.

Seeing that they were perfectly fine, Wei Zhao felt relieved. He kept his distance, not wanting them to become self-conscious about eating if they saw him. Since everyone around here was a stranger, they could let their hair down as much as they pleased.

Their table manners were far more ravenous than when they were at home.

"Boss, give me a bowl of wonton noodles." Wei Zhao sat down at a Zhang's Wonton Noodles stand not far away and called out to the owner.

"Coming right up, young man!" Seeing a customer arrive, the owner answered with a smile and set about cooking wontons for Wei Zhao.

Of all the snacks, Wei Zhao felt that nothing filled his stomach quite like wonton noodles. After nibbling on a few treats here and there, he decided to settle down with a proper bowl of wonton noodles.

As he ate, Wei Zhao kept his peripheral vision fixed on Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. He watched them arrive at a fried mushroom stall, where Shen Yushu seemed eager to eat and Gu Mengyao reluctant. The two bickered for a bit, until finally Gu Mengyao had no choice but to sit down and keep her company.

Heh, so even those two girls didn't always see eye to eye. Wei Zhao paid for his meal, stood up, and continued strolling casually through the food street.

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